Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in personal development but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Michelle Stuart, Founder of Ellevate Empowerment, located in Toronto, ON, Canada.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
My business puts a variety of tools and expert coaches, healers, and light workers directly in connection with the folks who are looking for them.
Tell us about yourself
The truth is - I took a course in coaching because I wanted to be a better leader for my team after finding myself in a position of leading people with much more experience and with way more letters behind their names than I had at the time. During that first course, I fell in love with transformation work and have connected with it as a way to live my true purpose and uncover the true beauty of being alive- for myself and my clients. I get to be the living, breathing poster for the results I can help them with. I get to work on achieving my dreams while supporting others in doing that for themselves too.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
My biggest accomplishment as a business owner is launching my platform - Ellevate Empowerment (https://ellevate.ca), which runs like an online gym for mind, body, and soul, and keeps empowerment accessible for folks who don't necessarily have thousands of dollars to invest right away. My platform is the physical embodiment of my mission - to transform the world by holding one hand out to offer support to others and the other hand out to receive it from others.
What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?
For me, the hardest thing so far has been boundary setting. I have a tendency to over-deliver which is a great thing - as long as you are doing it consciously and not from a space of "lack" or "unworthiness." I had to really look at my business through the lens of sustainability and commit to myself that I am in this for the long run, and honour that boundaries help me to support countless humans while sustaining my means to continue doing so and not having boundaries is a fast track to burnout and even resentment. I made my platform subscription-based and at a very low investment so that I know the value is built into my offer. That way - I can hold my boundaries with love and integrity.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
- Know your worth and the worth of what you are offering (how will it transform the people who need it)
- Make sure your business is something you love to do or have a passion for. Otherwise- save your time, money, and energy and work for someone else.
- Community. Surround yourself with people who will lift you up and encourage you to keep going.
Is there anything else you'd like to share?
Michelle Stuart is a Master level Neurolinguistic Coach and Hypnotherapist, as well as a Spiritual Expansion coach. She sits on the board of Directors at Birthmark Doula Support and holds the seat of Director of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion, and is an Executive Coach for the Leadership Institute for Black Women. She is the proud creator of Ellevate Empowerment - a platform geared toward making empowerment accessible for intersectional folks. Her certifications are in Hypnosis, NLP, and Reiki. She is a self-proclaimed student for life and takes pride in only using tools that she has seen successful results in her own life. Her unique experience pairs the Self Realization process of Spiritual practice with the Self Actualization tools of NLP.
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://ellevate.ca/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/ellevateempowerment/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/coachmariabiz/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/themichellestuart/
If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solo or small business entrepreneur that you'd like to share, then please answer these interview questions. We'd love to feature your journey on these pages.
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